Guitar players and musicians on board?

[sgl]

Originally Posted by OBT

My wife and I bring our Martins onto our boat and have them in gig bags. No impact noted. We enjoy playing for the islanders to payback for their kindness when we visit. The instruments remain on the boat for the entire Maine sailing season. Strings do degrade rather rapidly but we change them frequently anyway. We fly our guitar burgee and frequently have other musicians join us for impromptu song swaps. One season we played a series of concerts on outlying islands. Great fun. Bring the guitar and enjoy!

Do you do anything special at all to keep those guitars in good shape? I'm genuinely curious. After 4 weeks in Bocas Del Toro / Panama in 87 degree weather and 90% humidity, being kept in hard shell case at night, the body swelled up, the neck got warped, action got so high it was unplayable, and the tone sounded lifeless & tinny. I think I was probably 3 weeks away from joints separating.

[Ivanvet]

Hi!
That's a topic I like! In the winter, I shift to music and woodworking projects. We carry a Telecaster and an acoustic Art&luthier in the boat. But the beauty that's coming to the boat is this Telecaster replica that I'm making. I find the staining phase mesmerizing so I thought I would share a short video.

https://www.instagram.com/tv/CKFkJNm...on_share_sheet

I'm an eternal beginner but I mainly play Blues. The picture is of the pedalboard that I currently have.

Cheers and circle of fifths to everybody,

S/V Balu

[DIJ]

I don’t take my Gibson or Gretsch guitars when away on the boat but I do have a traveller ‘headless’ electric that plays well with a good action, played through a Roland Cube which has reasonable built in effects and lasts a fair time on 6AA batteries.

[Paradoxus]

I have a washburn rover travel guitar on board, standard neck on a tiny body. OK sound, main advantage is the bombproof box it comes in.

[MicHughV]

my wife plays an electric keyboard....it's small, lightweight and can run of batteries, 12 v or 110v...it goes into a bag when not in use..and easily stores back in the hanging locker...

I met a guy who plays a bottle cap music stick...it was pretty amazing, never seen anything like it before...he was damn good with it too....I tried it, but simply could not get the hang of it...but talk about a good boat musical instrument...

[gbmacca]

Think I'm lucky - living in Perth West Australia as I am told - weather similar to California.
Have a Takamine acoustic - which shits all over the other guitars I have had at the same price - and a Fender Strat with double humbuckers.
Music keeps me sane - well my friends may disagree - but enjoy writing and playing for 20 - 30 minutes each day - to keep the finger tips hard - but - it is possibly my neighbours in the marine - who come to sit in peace and quiet - who may agree to the pleasure that I get.
Have a Epiphone 40 watt amp - but can't get the same 'vibrance' as I used to have on shore - and as we have serious electrical current drops at the end of my jetty (pier) have been told this may be the reason.

Also have a uke - which I play between tv commercials ---

So - when the time is right - on a nice calm night -- to make the seagulls swoon - I sit out the back - and howl at the moon ---

Cheers

Gbmacca

[Scott Berg]

sold the martin, bought a classic (70's) Ovation Folklore (Josh White version); love it aboard, easy to play and boat friendly

[dfelsent]

Originally Posted by Kopaikev

I’ve been playing banjo for over 40 years so I’m a serious player. Have taken a banjo everywhere I’ve been. Recently bought a 37 ft sailboat and intend to cruise Mexico. I think I’ll get some good practice in while at anchor. So many songs I want to learn.

I’ve been playing for a just few years. I now bring my Mike Ramsey aboard and leave the antique Cole Eclipse Pro at home. Mostly. (The 1890s or so Eclipse was a find and a half. $600 in great shape from a consignment shop. )

The trombone stays in the house.

[DMF Sailing]

I play a Breedlove OM SR/e. Or should I say, she plays me. I just sit there and let it happen.

She's solid spruce and solid rosewood, and we have the same rules for extreme humidity on a cruise as we do in extremely dry apartments in winter. She comes out of the hard case only for play time, and gets locked back in when the music's over.

She lives with a hygrometer and a two-way Humidipak (for cruising we add silicate packs as needed; her distant cousin, the posh camera, also gets those.)

Light Elixir polyweb strings. She tells me if I leave her behind when i travel, for another guitar or to save space or any other reason, she'll warp herself and never play again. Or run off with my Tele.

I tell her not to fret.

[lyl]

My advice is a ~$400 acoustic guitar with no electronics, a decent Yamaha for example.

[zemurray]

Lot’s of interesting experience. Glad I started the thread.

I have an epiphone master built acoustic, that was my cheap guitar. I’ve had it on the boat for a few months, always in the hardshell case when it wasn’t played. Humidity did swell it a bit and the action is much higher now. I’ll have to shave the bridge saddle down now.

I’m too paranoid to bring my Taylor 814 down, it’s an amazing guitar, plays and sounds perfect. Maybe one day when we live aboard full time I’ll get over it and put some humidipaks in it.

I failed to mention I’m extremely picky about how the guitar plays and sounds. A long time of tone chasing and gear acquisition syndrome has ruined me. I know a my custom built amp will never make it, but I do have an AxeFx that works quite well. It would need to run off an inverter and I’m not sure the current draw. Some of the portable fishman amps suggested might work. I am not concerned about my electrics, but I’d amping them and getting a reasonable tone is the problem.

I’d entertain a carbon fiber guitar if.I heard one that sounded nice. I may have to just settle for fixing my epiphone nad living with it for a while.

Good discussion!

[Linesledaft]

https://youtu.be/hX2mIcoRfeE

Check out Kay Odyssey on youtube/spotify/apple music/bandcamp

That is my gf's band. She has been cruising with me for a year, and we have a few instruments onboard. We left our expensive gear in a climate controlled storage when we left ATX.

As far as guitars onboard, we have a pretty basic strat with a couple vox battery powered amps. I think the amp was around $150 at Guitar Center. It has a line out so it can be ran into a soundboard/pa when she plays out. We also have a banjo and a mountain dulcimer that have held up pretty well. I was thinking about purchasing an Ovation for an acoustic due to it being mostly composite.

If you do want to bring good gear, you could keep it in a pelican style case.

[Jefffriday]

I keep a Rainsong OM on my boat, all carbon. I have really come to love the action and stability. Can be used as a paddle in an emergency... well no, it would kill the electronics. I have a Collings OM, Martin D35 as well and found myself picking up the rainsong so often, I bought another used, bit rough, one to put on the boat and brought the other home. I bought an Emerald, tried it, sent it back, Did not like the sound or feel at all. I have another good friend who just did the same thing thinking he would like the jumbo sound, not so much. Another friend who moved to Mexico with his D28 had to have it completely re-glued after one rain season, he got a Rainsong. I can pull it out after traveling and it will be in perfect tune, that is really nice on the boat when temps swing...

[DMF Sailing]

Originally Posted by zemurray

Lot’s of interesting experience. Glad I started the thread.

I have an epiphone master built acoustic, that was my cheap guitar. I’ve had it on the boat for a few months, always in the hardshell case when it wasn’t played. Humidity did swell it a bit and the action is much higher now. I’ll have to shave the bridge saddle down now.

I’m too paranoid to bring my Taylor 814 down, it’s an amazing guitar, plays and sounds perfect. Maybe one day when we live aboard full time I’ll get over it and put some humidipaks in it.

I failed to mention I’m extremely picky about how the guitar plays and sounds. A long time of tone chasing and gear acquisition syndrome has ruined me. I know a my custom built amp will never make it, but I do have an AxeFx that works quite well. It would need to run off an inverter and I’m not sure the current draw. Some of the portable fishman amps suggested might work. I am not concerned about my electrics, but I’d amping them and getting a reasonable tone is the problem.

I’d entertain a carbon fiber guitar if.I heard one that sounded nice. I may have to just settle for fixing my epiphone nad living with it for a while.

Good discussion!

Taylor builds pretty solid guitars. I had a 514 ce-L-10 all-mahogany that I took to all manner of climates (deserts, swamplands, boats) and it held up. Not that I would advise someone else to take their 814 (nice guitar!) anywhere. I wonder if the mahogany had anything to do with it. (Of course I follow all my rules about hard cases and two-way humidity controlls). The biggest problem with that instrument on a boat is it's a fingerpick-style guitar that is made for a quiet auditorium. Tough to hear it in a jamboree or a breeze!

[SlyMcFLy]

Hi from Panama onboard Octopus Garden a 1973 Formosa 41. have a Fender
P Bass, Fender Rumble 40 amp, Line 6;bass pod, And pedal board with 5 pedals. I have ipad with synth apps and drum machines. I have a PC with a multi track studio. I practice 2 to 4/hours per day. Im now working on recording my 3rd album. I gig occasionally with other players.

Just take care of your stuff put the guitar away use a gig bag and have contact cleaner keep the amp dry

My Peavy amp got real scratchy after about 3 years i brought my Rumble down on a friends boat